Predator and Prey
by OutdatedPlanet8
Summary: Sandra Florance has been shipped off. Abandoned. Given up on. It's her senior year of High School and she suddenly finds herself in La Push, Washington with a long lost sister, a pretty cool brother-in-law, and a badass boy breathing down her neck. Our heroine struggles with her emotions as she tries to figure out who she really is and what she can over come. OC/Paul
1. She Must Be Kidding

It all started out with that little incident.

"Sandra Florance, I cannot believe you are being so disrespectful right now! I have been putting up with this unruly behavior for a long time-but enough is enough! You won't listen to me, we can't talk about anything anymore! You have become such a control freak and you are holding yourself back!"

I sighed in annoyance as my mother droned on once again. I love her-I really do, but she has not been respecting me at all the last couple of months. She thinks she needs respect? Well it's a two way street honey.

But despite my train of thoughts tears are glazing my eyes and my throat is choking up. I actually hated the thought of my mom being disappointed in me. But I needed to stand up for myself! After being pushed around about college, school, and my personal life-I was dead tired of it all. My anxiety has really shot through the roof this year and I honestly can't take any more of this yelling.

"Oh so your ignoring me now!? Well fine. YOU CAN GO TO YOUR SISTERS FOR YOUR LAST SEMESTER OF HIGH SCHOOL. IGNORE ME THERE." After furiously spewing these words she stormed from the kitchen table and stomped toward her room.

Shock spread throughout my body and while sitting in stunned silence I briefly noted the slam of her bedroom door. _What did she just say?_ I got up and hurried to her room, but just as I readied by fist to knock I halted. Did she even really mean that? I thought back to all the other punishments she had threatened before. She never followed through on those. Plus my sister would never agree to that. They lived all the way out in La Push, Washington.

I lowered my fist and headed to my room. There was no way she was actually serious.


	2. A First Class Flight

Okay so apparently my mom was serious.

I shifted my skirt as I felt my new black tights hitch themselves up in a rather uncomfortable place (I'm guessing you know which one). I had been on a plane for TWO HOURS without using the restroom or standing up, and despite my love for flying and trips, I found myself a little antsy to stand up. No way was I getting to the aisle though.

Out of the corner of my eye I shot a look at the other passengers sitting next to me. One of the men had their trey out and was digging into a bag of strong smelling Cheetos while the other one was knocked out and snoring, their legs folded up at odd angles. I saw the light haired flight attendant shoot me a sympathetic glance as she moved through the isles collecting trash. Yeah I was going nowhere.

Silently letting out a scream, I turned my attention back to the breathing taking view of the sun shining on top of a white blue carpet of clouds. Its rays threw orange and gold color over them and intensified the shadows between them. Even after all my flying as a military brat-it still managed to stun me.

My eyes drooped and I feel into a light slumber, wishing for land and a familiar face.

"So it's 8 P.M. here in Seattle, Washington….Nice light rain we got going on…Nothing too heavy…Please remember all items that were brought with…And have a good night Folks!"

Who was doing all the talking? Sandra turned over in her seat to face the noise. Blinking she registered strange people around her and a scuffling sound as they all waddled around towards the front of the enclosed space. OH. Abruptly coming to wake she blinked and rubbed her eyes to chase the sleep from them. Her row had already cleared out and she hastily grabbed her only carry on item up from under her seat. The blue checkered tote fit comfortably under her arm and she sent a thank you to her past self for packing light.

The rest of the plane passengers had already made its way out the doors so it was just her as she strode to the open hatchet. The crew still stood at attention near the door and smiled at her as she got there. "Have a nice night." The light haired attendant from earlier said and she murmured her reply in return.

_Freedom_, was all she thought when walking out of the long tunnel and into the slow airport. All she need now was to find her sister Kandice and she'd be at home and asleep. And safe. Well until school started. Swallowing down that panic for later-she picked her way through the airport and concentrated on finding Kandice. Everything else could wait its turn on her list.

She had just made it out and was scanning the crowd when she heard a familiar voice call her name, "Sandra! Over here!" Turing she spotted her shorter sister with her hand cupped over her mouth and her other hand flagging her down. Oh great…Embarrassed, she turned her way and made sure not to trip as she edged nearer to her. Kandice's light brown eyes sparkled and her pale face scrunched up at the sides with a smile. She looked good and had on nice jeans with a long sleeved white turtle neck. A movement next to Kandice caught her eye though and she realized her brother-in-law CJ was grinning at her side as well. His face was a tad tanner but his smile was just like her sisters. He also wore jeans but had on a black hoodie.

"It's really good to see you!" She heard Kandice murmur and they each drew up their arms for a hug.

"It's good to see you too." She heard herself reply and realized she truly meant it. It had been too long since she had seen Kandice in person and she tightened her hug a moment before she let go.

Turning to CJ they also exchanged the same pleasantries. "Well if you just follow us we'll take you to our car outside." And with that she was trailing behind them to their car like a lost puppy. Occasionally Kandice or CJ would turn around and smile at her or ask her a question about her flight-but she sensed they realized how tired she was and saved the chit chat for later.

_Only a little longer_, she promised herself. _Then you'll get to sleep in a nice, warm bed._


	3. Umm How About No?

It had only been two days since she had arrived at Seattle. Only. Two. It had been great at first-Kandice and CJ had taken her to a quaint house in La Push that honestly was pretty cute. They had shown her upstairs to her own room and little bathroom that were both a pretty cream color and had old furniture inside. Not that she minded of course-she loved old things. So that had been her cup of tea, as well as the howls that would occasionally stir the night air outside. Wolves were one of her favorite animals and it had been exciting to hear them around. Even the almost constant light rain had made her happy, Sandra loved the sounds and smells rain always seemed to make.

But today was different. Today was very, very bad. Why? Today Kandice and CJ wanted her to make friends. With a boy.

_Umm…How about no?_ Her hands were sweaty as she paced over the fluffy light blue rug on her floor.

"Don't be nervous," her sister had said "Embry is a very nice boy who lives next door. You'll get along well. And he's pretty cute too. Maybe you'll even like him." Her tone had been so positive and she had smiled at her so warmly-she couldn't exactly argue since she already scheduled it. But she wished she had.

"Sandra! Embry's here! And it looks like he brought a friend!" Oh dear god. Breathe in deep. Breathe out.

"Guess I should get this over with." She mumbled quietly as she headed to the stairs.

"Good luck with this one." A deep voice rumbled from the bottom. Half way down the stairs, she heard heavy footsteps moving towards the door. Something about that voice…

"AH come on Paul, you just have to stay a little bit. It won't be that bad." The other voice sounded whiny and she blushed when she realized he didn't want to be stuck with her. Well. That went two ways.

As she neared the end of the stairs she saw two large men standing in the hallway. Both faced the door. The one closer to her had his hair shaved in a light brown buzz and had bulky muscles. The one near the door had messy looking brown hair and a tall figure. She found herself studying him closer than the other and taking note of the lean muscles on his body. Somehow she felt instantly attracted to him and her hear pulled at him leaving.

He suddenly turned around to face who she assumed was Embry. "Nope. Couldn't even pay-"He stopped mid-sentence as his eyes found hers and she heard him suck in a large gulp of air.

All she could see was his amber eyes that held flecks of gold in them. The hair she had simply deemed before as slightly messy now looked incredibly sexy. Her hands itched to run her hands through it-no run her hands all over him. His arms, what would they feel like? Would he like her touch? Would he touch her?

He never broke his gaze with her and simply moved close to her position at the bottom of the stairs. It made her stomach drop and her mouth go dry. A million butterflies danced in her gut. Who was he? How could she feel like this? His smell slowly drifted to her as he came even closer. The smell of woods, camp fires, and fresh air. It made her feel so safe…And then he spoke to her, his voice rumbling out of his chest once more, but this time it sounded more husky than before.

"Hi, my name's Paul." He continued to gaze at her with adoration almost. But that couldn't be right could it?

"Hi," she heard her voice squeak out "my name's Sandra." His lips turned up at the corners and revealed a white set of canines.

"That's a pretty name." She blushed a deep shade of red and heard herself offer a nervous giggle.

"Thanks." Was all she could seem to spit out.

A sudden loud coughing had her startled and snapping her head to the side.

"Holy Shit Paul!" Embry was covering his mouth and clutching his side. The cough must have been him trying to hide what she now saw was laughter. _Why was he laughing?_ Then she suddenly realized how weird the moment between her and Paul had been.

She glanced back at Paul who still hadn't taken his eyes off her yet. Then he seemed to come to as he heard Embry roll into another fit of laughter. His expression suddenly became dark as he turned to stare at his friend.

"Shut up Call. You're Goddamn annoying." His sudden change of tone and aggressive speech had her confused and suddenly uncomfortable. Was he two faced? Then she remembered what he had been doing before she arrived. Leaving. Maybe this was all an act, he had been making fun of her!

Mortification rolled through her body. This hot guy was messing with her! He knew how he affected her body and was manipulating her for the sake of a good laugh. Tears glistened in her eyes and her chest felt painfully sore.

She ran back up-stairs just as the tears threatened to spill.


	4. My Paul

**Hello my beautiful readers : ) Hope you enjoy this chapter! Please try to add a review if you have time, I really like hearing what you guys have to say X3**

"Hey! Hey! What's wrong?!" The frantic knocking at my door was making me nervous. But the sound of Paul's worried voice made me even more so.

After running up the stairs and into my room, I suppose Paul and Embry had snapped out of their glaring contest. Paul followed me upstairs and has been trying to figure out the reason for my tears. But is he sincere?

"Please-At least tell me you're alright." His voice weakly carried through the thin wooden door. I felt a tug at my heart and I inched closer to the door so my head rested against it.

I cleared my throat a little. "I'm fine. I…" What was I going to say? "That…When you looked at me, was that some weird kind of prank?" I held my breath, my face bright red.

Suddenly I heard Paul bark out a laugh, and I felt my heart drop to my stomach. So it had been? My eyes watered again.

"No, it wasn't a prank. I-"His deep voice suddenly cut off and the silence that followed was filled with nervous energy somehow.

"You what?" I questioned softly. A deep intake of breath could be heard from the other side of the door.

"I…You…" Frustration suddenly colored his voice and she giggled at him. "You're beautiful. And it…Took me by surprise a little." The last words grew husky and his voice softened.

She couldn't help but bite her lip and turn fire red at his answer. "Oh." Was all she could say. It was quite on both sides for a few moments. She listened to them both quietly breathing.

"Paul!" Embry's voice sounded outside the door and it surprised her that she hadn't heard his footsteps on the stairs. "Paul leave her for today, it's a shock for both of you. You need to go to Sam about this anyway."

A frustrated sigh escaped from Paul's lips. "In a little bit. I just want to stay a little longer."

"If you don't leave now, you know you never will."

"Dammit Embry! I'm gona chew your ass out later for this."

"Is that a threat?"

"No, a promise." The dark tone of his voice sent chills down her spine, but somehow had her heart racing in excitement too.

"Alright fine, just say your goodbyes so we can leave." His voice slowly faded as he walked away.

"Sandra?" His voice was soft and husky again. It gave her goosebumps…

"Yes?" Of course hers came out in a squeak.

"I have to go now, but I'll see you later." Disappointment filled her and she directed it toward Embry for taking her Paul away. Wait. Her Paul? When did that happen?

"Okay…"she breathed out. It shouldn't really affect her this much. She had only met him a few minutes ago after all. Yet when his footsteps could be heard moving away from her door…

Her hand reached for the knob and she darted into the hallway. Paul stopped to turn towards her, his eyes focusing warmly on hers. Nether moved until Embry could be heard calling Paul again. He rolled his eyes at her in response to his calling and she heard herself giggle. She wished she could laugh even more, his eyes seemed to light up when she did.

He slowly turned to go, discontent stiffening his muscles as he broke their gaze. His hands hung near his sides and she felt herself once again move towards him, her figure tips brushing the ends of his. He snapped his head down at their hands. She could hear her heart pounding as he stared. Then he pushed their hands together, folding them so his massive hand engulfed hers and their fingers interlaced.

"Your hands are like giant paws" she murmured. His eyes trailed back up her frame to her eyes. A slow grin spread across his face.

"It's not me, your hands are just too small." She laughed at this and they seemed trapped in some sort of look again. There was sexual attraction in it, but there was something more to the look. Something very warm. And safe.

"PAUL!" Embry's voice boomed from down stairs and made her jump slightly. Paul once again looked angry and discontent as he broke their hands apart slowly.

"I'm coming mutt. No need to yell." His voice rumbled out from deep in his chest and she had a fleeting thought of what it would sound like if she rested her head there. "I'll see you again soon Sandra. I promise." The longing look he sent her way had her wishing she could run after him again, but she stayed frozen in her spot in the hallway.

It was not until the slamming of the door downstairs did she move, and when she did she ran to her window that looked over the front yard. Both boys ambled out onto her lawn and then into the thick sea of trees on their right. But before they went in, a certain amber eyed man turned to stare up at her window.

Clutching the curtains, she covered the window up with embarrassment. _What am I doing? So stupid…_She walked over to her bed and collapsed on top of her new soft pink comforter.

_That was some weird shit._ A howl outsider her window seemed to agree with her assessment.


	5. Not Really A Morning Person

**I just want to say thanks again for the reviews! Please continue to do so if possible! Also I know my chapters are kind of short, so I'm working to make them longer ^_^ Hope you enjoy!**

"Alright rise and shine!" The sound of her sister's voice was like a knife piercing her skull. She rolled over to stare at her clock sitting on her dark blue nightstand.

"It's only 7 O'clock." Why should anything be awake at this hour?

"Yes but your starting school today. Don't tell me you forgot?" She cast an annoyed look at Kandice.

"Of course I didn't _forget_. It's just that I don't think it's necessary to wake up an hour before I have to leave. Twenty-minutes should suffice. I mean I already showered last night…" She leaned back into her satin pillow and tucked the covers closer to her. It was so war-

"No way, you have to get up now so we can have a nice healthy breakfast together." She groaned at this announcement. "Please?" Kandice's voice begged.

She heaved a large sigh and blew a strand of hair out of her face. "I suppose."

"Great, I'll go make something good." The beaming smile on her face made Sandra even grumpier than before.

Ugg. Not. A morning person.

She slowly rose out of bed and rubbed her eyes at the sunlight pouring through the cracks in her blinds. At least she hadn't opened them. That definitely would have been the final straw.

Grumbling to herself, she sleepily grabbed some clothes and bumped her way to the bathroom across the hall to use the restroom and change. The cold wood floor of the hallway chilled the bottoms of her feet and had her scurrying across. "Damn cold floor…"

Once finished with her initial business, Sandra studied her first outfit in the long mirror on the back of the door. She had decided on a see through lacey shirt with a cream tank top underneath. Seeing as it was the first day, she also picked out a red skirt and black tights with boots to dress things up. Lastly she swiped a clear lip gloss across her lips.

She contemplated the finished product for a while. She had a slim tall figure and pale skin like her sister. Her light brown hair had streaks of blond in it and was combed out straight. The length of it touched the middle of her back. Her eyes had always been some shade of blue and today they told her she was tired-Bright light blue orbs stared back at her. Her lips pursed in thought. "Hm, good enough." Her anxiety pulled at the back of her mind though. Did this sort of thing even suit her? She pushed back against the voice, _I'll do what I want. _

She opened to door and returned to her room to grab a pastel colored backpack off her floor. The backpack had been the cutest thing she had ever seen, and Kandice had bought it for her as a welcome present.

The smell of something like oatmeal drafted from downstairs and had her stomach grumbling. _I don't even like oatmeal…I must really be hungry._ She found her legs carrying her down the stairs and into the front hallway.

She briefly paused at the bottom, remembering her encounter with Paul the other day and his longing look. The butterflies in her stomach started again and she suddenly found herself smiling and clutching the banister. What was she? Some psychotic creeper? This obsession was getting strange. Frowning now, she moved down the hallway towards the warmly furnished living room it opened into. She really shouldn't feel this way, it would only hurt her in the end. Besides, jumping into a relationship now was not the best choice. Later, when she was in control of her life.

Sighing she rounded the wall at the back of the room and passed the table on her right to sit at the breakfast bar. Kandice was scoping what looked like oatmeal with fruit into three bowls. She heard the scrape of her stool and looked up at her, "Morning!"

"Hmm" was all she replied. "That oatmeal?" The goopy looking mush had her stomach quivering in fear. How did that even qualify as food?

"Yup! And I even added some really yummy fruits from our garden into it! You're gonna love it." Somehow she doubted that. She was a strict believer that fruits should be kept separate from other foods and eaten by themselves. Suddenly she could hear her dad's voice in her head, "_It's all going to the same place anyway." _Pushing the memory from her mind, she used the spoon Kandice had just given her to shovel the stuff in. _The quicker this is over, the better._

Noticing CJ wasn't present, she watched her sister as she settled on a stool next to her, a bowl of the mush in her hands. "Where's CJ?"

"Oh he left early to help out at the church." CJ worked as a Pastor for a local church and Kandice worked as a preschool teacher her on the Reservation. For some reason her sister adorned little kids.

"Hmm." Her response made her sister quirk her lips up in amusement.

"Not much of a conversationalist in the morning are we?"

"Nope." Most of the mush was gone by this point, and so she deemed enough had been eaten to satisfy her sister. "Thanks for breakfast."

"No problem, and just leave your bowl there, I'll take care of it for today. You should probably hurry if you want to make it in time." Sandra glanced at the clock and grimaced.

"You're right, I think I'll leave now." The straps of her backpack settled comfortable on her shoulders after she managed to adjust them properly. "Bye!"

"Bye, have a good first day!"

She turned the corner of the kitchen and out into the living room. The glow of the hallway entering the opening was charming and warm. She crossed the threshold of the living room to the corridor. Natural light from the door mixed in with the glow of the lights adorning the walls. If she ever owned a house of her own, she wished it would look something like this…

Sighing, she grasped the handle of the door and pushed it open. It was an overcast kind of day-nothing out of the normal. Green grass and trees greeted her eyes though as she walked on the damp sidewalk. Maybe the walk wouldn't be so bad after all. Her muscles and stomach were tense though-nervous for her first day at a new school. She breathed in, made an effort to relax her shoulders, clam her nerves. No such luck. A few moments of this had her giving up and concentrating on her walk again. That was until a noise startled her.

She turned and briefly saw a pair of familiar amber eyes before her foot caught. Her spiral towards the ground had her hands shooting out to catch herself. But apparently his were faster, and he managed to catch her just before she fell. A moment passed of him gently holding her, his hands wrapped effortlessly around her upper arms.

"T-thanks." Her voice was light from recovering from her near fall, and she attempted to clear her throat. It made it seem as if he had some kind of effect on her. But she didn't. She differently didn't think about Paul like that. Nope. _Just keep lying to yourself, I'm sure it'll be true sooner or later._

"No problem." His gruff voice called her to look at him in his eyes, but instead she pulled away from him and began walking down the sidewalk. She didn't hear him, but she saw him move after her in the corner of her eye. His face looked slightly puzzled and hurt. She ignored this despite her tightening chest, and faced forward completely.

Neither spoke for the longest time. She hated to admit it, but she was actually enjoying his presence. The feeling of him behind her gave her a feeling of clam and a shot of courage. Why was that though? _He's dangerous-all men are. But especially this one. He looks like he goes after what he wants. _The thought usually would have sent her into a flurry of panic, but she retained her calm. What was with this Paul guy that had her acting so…Not her?

At the current moment she could careless though, the school slowly was coming into view, as well as a large amount of other kids. Yayy. Other angry, confused, horny, sad, adolescents. Not. It seemed they were drawing a lot of the attention too. When they had finally made it to the crowds near the entrance, she could hear whispers and people blatantly talking about them.

"Is Paul walking with her?" "She's not even Quileute!" "I've never seen her before." "Wow he's gonna break her heart." "Why's she so dressed up? Show off." "Hmm, maybe after Paul's done I'll take a turn with her. It's been a while since I've had an outsider."

A sharp growling sound issued from behind her. She pivoted to stare in shock at Paul who wore an unamused expression and stared at the crowd. "Did you do that?" He turned his head back to hers when he realized she was staring at him.

"Do what?" His voice held nothing suspicious, but his eyes seemed to look at her knowingly. Freaking weird…and cool. But nothing human could have made that noise. It couldn't have been him.

"Never mind, I must have heard someone watching a video of something-I could have sworn I heard a growl."

"Oh." Was all he said as he stared at her, his previous peeved expression gone. In its place was that look again-the soul searing one. Well nope. Not today. She tore her eyes from his and started to push through the staring crowd again.

Yeah, today was going to be great. Peachy perfect.


	6. Might Be A Little Bipolar

**I'm really sorry about not updating sooner! DX I'm going to try to be more on top of it and it should go smoother since it's not Christmas time anymore. Anyway I hope you enjoy the chapter and if you have the time leave a review!**

Paul was still following her as she strode into the main office, his eyes burning holes in her back. What exactly did he want? It was getting harder to resist the urge to turn around meet his gaze.

The room was an old looking place, its yellow walls looked washed and the carpet lining the floor was frayed. Leather back chairs sat along the left and front wall, small tables filled with probably outdated magazines occupied the corners. And to her right was a tall long desk that had a swinging door off to the side.

At the desk stood a plump older woman with greying hair in a tightly knit bun. She was studying a set of papers in front of her. Clearing her throat slightly she spoke to her. "Hi, I'm new here, and I was wondering if I could get a copy of my schedule?" The woman, who she now noticed had a name tag with Cathy printed on it, looked up from the front desk and smiled.

"Sure hon, what's the last name?"

"Florance?" Cathy turned to a computer sitting on a table behind the front desk and started typing on it.

"Just a moment dear, we'll have that printed for you in a second."

"Okay." She turned around and figured it was safe to sit down in one of the chairs lining the walls of the office. Paul stood slightly to the back, arms folded, with a guarded expression. He was always so moody; he had been so kind to her at the house, then immediately afterwards had snapped on Embry, and now was acting extremely suspicious. Ignoring him wasn't working, so she supposed a confrontation was due.

As she walked over to him she watched his eyes follow her. "Is there something you need? I just don't understand why you're following me." His eyes seemed to narrow as she spoke. "And now you look upset for some reason, but I honestly have no idea why."

He shifted his arms down to his sides and looked irritated now. "I'm not upset."

She stared at him, waiting for more. No more came. That was it?

"You're obviously upset about something. You're glaring at me. And don't think I didn't notice you skipped my first question." His amber eyes flashed for a moment, the golden specks glowing.

"Why do you care if I'm following you? It's better when we're together right? Even you must feel it too-the ache. And I'm frustrated, not angry, that you ignored me earlier this morning. It was rude."

She swallowed down her own irritation as she prepared herself to reply, "The ache? What are you talking about? And this morning was weird, you appeared out of nowhere. I was a little creeped out. "

He shook his head at her, "I know you feel it when we're apart." And the weird thing was, she did. When he had left her house and disappeared into the forest, an unexplainable ache had grown in her chest. She had tossed and turned that night, wishing he was nearer. Something like that surely wasn't normal though. Something like that shouldn't be healthy. So she feigned ignorance.

When she only continued to stare at him in confusion, his eyes softened to a warm glow. "Don't deny it love. Not this." His hand reached up almost of its own accord, and softly stroked the side of her face. She closed her eyes as his rough fingers sent sparks throughout her.

"Ms. Florance?" Cathy's voice seemed to float to her from a faraway place, but it was enough to bring her back to the present. To remember where she was.

Blushing, she walked back over to the front desk to take the paper that Cathy held out. The older woman had a knowing smile on her face as she turned back to her paperwork.

"What classes do you have?" The Paul's voice rumbled out near her ear and caused her to jump. She took a step away from him in fright and his eyes narrowed at the action. "Are you afraid of me?"

It wasn't as if she thought he would ever hurt her-wait when had she started thinking that? Anyway, it was the fact that he kept sneaking up on her that startled her. "I'm not-well not really." He quirked one of his eyebrows at her and an amused smirk stole over his lips.

"I just meant that I'm not afraid, just…" It was pure torture to try to explain to him how she was feeling without voicing any of the strange thoughts she'd been having. "Never mind," a frustrated sigh escaped her lips and she stomped towards the door in embarrassment.

The crowd outside and in the hallway had shrunk considerably compared to before as the beginning of first hour drew near. Sandra quickly glanced down at the schedule Cathy had printed off for her. She was only required to stay until 12:00 since her credits had been met and most of the classes would be easy ones.

"Mythology with Mr. Gram, room 141…" she read to herself. Reading was one of her favorite pass times and she was pretty excited about starting off the day with this class. Now if only to find the room. Getting use to a new schools floor plan was always a pain.

"Mythology huh? Class sucks, and Mr. Gram loves to drone on. You'll be reading a ton of boring stuff about werewolves." Seems like her stalker was still following her. She slowed down her walk and then turned to him. He wore a guarded mask again and was carefully regarding her.

"I actually love Mythology and lectures. And werewolves are not boring." His eyes seemed to flash and his mask dropped as he flashed a grin.

"Oh really? Werewolves aren't boring to you huh?" His voice was teasing, but his eyes were watching her closely for some reason.

She started walking in the direction of room 141 and he followed suit, moving not even half a foot away from her. His eyes still trained on her as he waited for her to speak.

"Werewolves are probably my favorite supernatural species. Why do you think they're boring? You a vampire type of guy?" His expression showed shock, and then recovered as he threw back his head and laughed at her. The deep rich echo of his laugh made her weak in the knees and incredibly happy. She wished he was always laughing like that.

He was still wearing a smile and chuckling at her as they neared rooms in the 100's. "I'm definitely not a vampire type of guy."

"And why's that?" I mean werewolves where cool, but vampires had perks too.

"I'm just not into the whole blood sucking thing. Leeches are gross." His eyes had changed color again, they had turned a dark amber-and his shoulders were quivering a bit. "The leeches are dangerous Sandra. Don't ever go near them."

His voice frightened her a bit, it was commanding and dark. And who called vampires leeches? "Leeches Paul?" He didn't hear her though and his eyes looked distant. "Paul?" With no response she grew worried and reached out to touch his bicep.

Almost immediately his eyes snapped to hers and softened, returning to their original light amber. "Sorry," he breathed. He blinked once or twice as if to clear an unpleasant image from his mind. He then slowly turned down his head to stare at her hand on his arm. The golden flecks of his eyes glowed. Tingles began working up her fingers and her stomach tightened at his close proximity. She ripped her hand away and immediately missed the soft warm skin of his arm, and the hard muscle underneath it.

She quickened her walk as she spotted the class marked 141, relieved and disappointed at the same time. Turning at the door she looked up to face Paul. The bell must have rang long considering all the students were now in class and it was only them in the halls. Had he really distracted her that much? To the point where she couldn't even hear the bell? But it had happened she supposed, and now she had to walk in late. To say she was nervous and worried was an understatement.

As if sensing her nerves, Paul moved his hand out and touched her waist lightly, moving her gently into his chest, his eyes soft. Lean arms wrapped her up, and his nose leaned down to skim her neck. His scent ambushed her and she inhaled deeper, the woodsy smell invading her nose and warming her heart. So safe. Pleasant warmth surrounded her and chills of pleasure rocked her body. Her own arms seemed to automatically wrap themselves around him, pulling him closer. She wished she could stay in his arms forever.

"Don't be nervous love." The warmth from his breath tickled her neck and she signed in contentment. "You'll do fine. You're beautiful, and intelligent. Everything will go fine."

His arms released her and he stepped back, his face was once again a mask, but the arms that had pulled her to him dropped back down to his sides unwillingly. "You should go in now. Just tell them you were lost, you're new and Gram's won't care." That devilish smirk appeared on his face again. "See you around."

He turned and walked back the way they had come, his back rigid and his steps measured. Bipolar much? What she should have been worried about though was that hug. If he hadn't pulled back she never would have. She had never felt so safe before. So happy…

Shaking her head she faced the door with her new found resolve and slowly reached for the handle. The door made no sound as she swung it open and she was happy to see that the teacher was still taking roll call. A glance at the class told her that no one had noticed her entrance except for a long haired girl in the back.

The other girl turned to stare at the teacher and then her. She motioned with her hands that she move to a desk next to her. Moving along the side closest to the door, she slid into the seat the girl had motioned to.

She leaned forward towards me, her green eyes sparkling. "Hi, I'm Kim. What's your name?"

"Hi, I'm Sandra. Thanks for saving me there." Kim grin grew and she waved a hand in front of her.

"No problem, don't worry about it. Anything for the new imp-"She suddenly stopped, her eyes wide.

Sandra felt her eye brows bunch together in confusion. "New what?"

"New kid! New kid…" A laugh bubbled its way out from her throat but it just seemed like a nervous laugh to me. It didn't help that Kim was suddenly fiddling with her pencil.

"Ms. Kimberly, do you have something funny to share with the rest of the class?" Kim's eyes turned as round as saucers as she faced Mr. Gram. He had a disapproving look in his eyes as he stared her down.

"No sir." Was the quick reply she uttered back.

"Alright then, now I'll begin on something truly amazing-the history of the book of Gilgamesh. Ahh, a truly interesting story." Collective groans could be heard through out the class but Mr. Gram ignored them and continued on.

Kim shot her an exasperated glance but otherwise settled down in her desk for the class period. Sandra soon did the same, already counting the hours until 12:00, and until the next time she would see a certain pair of amber eyes…


	7. When In Doubt, Power Walk Out

**Please review if possible! I love hearing what you guy's think and it helps me feel inspired to write more : )**

It turns out that a lot of the seniors left early at 12 O'clock, including Kim. Her new friend had found her fumbling with her locker at the end of the day and insisted they walk out together.

"So how was your first day here on the Rez?" Kim asked. She was struggling slightly at keeping the same pace as Kim, the girl was walking pretty fast for some reason.

"Well it wasn't awful, but I mean school's still school. It sucked." Kim laughed at her and her green eyes brightened.

"That's true. But I bet your day also sucked cause Paul wasn't there." Sandra turned her head slightly to look at Kim's face as they walked out of the front doors.

"That's not true, besides I hardly even know that guy. Do you?" Kim's face just kept her grin.

"It so is true weather you know him well or not. And I know Paul, he's friends with my boyfriend Jared. And speaking of my boyfriend…" A blush had fallen over her face and she watched as Kim walked up to a group of very tall large men. One of them had had his eyes on her as they came out and she was surprised when they folded their arms around each other and kissed rather passionately. Well.

As the two love birds continued their steamy kiss, the rest of the men looked unfazed but instead set their sights on her. Was she the weird one in this scenario? Embarrassed, she turned to start walking home when she bumped into a solid chest. A familiar chest guessing by the heat that shot through her at his touch.

Looking up she found herself staring straight into the eyes of Paul. The heat still remained, but Sandra urged herself to feel panic instead, this guy was trouble. His gaze made her melt, his touch made her forget all her thoughts, and the words that were coming out of his mouth were crazy. Something about feeling an "ache" (probably was heart burn on his part). And other people were starting to get in on it too! How did Kim even know that she knew Paul? It really was altogether too creepy for her.

Mumbling an apology, she cast her eyes down and power walked toward the side walk that would lead her home.

Deep laughter and a few giggles echoed behind her and she glanced out of curiosity at who had caused it. Kim was clutching her sides as were most of the men in that group, all of them staring at an angry looking Paul. For some reason she felt the need to go back and comfort him, but that would be stupid. What could she do? And why would an angry Paul need comforting?

But as his eyes turned to her and she caught them-she figured out why. He was hurt. His deep amber eyes pulled her in, past the mad look he put out and what he actually _felt. _And that was pain at being rejected by her. Again, and in front of his friends. No one else besides her saw it, and they continued to laugh at his form quivering in anger.

Tentatively, she called out his name, "Paul." Her voice was very soft, but he heard it and the shaking began to stop. His gaze still locked on hers, he moved to where she stood. The rest of the noise disappeared, and she couldn't tell if it was because they had stopped laughing, or if being with Paul made her oblivious to everything else.

He stood very close to her, and seemed to be waiting. His whole form was cautious, and restrained. She hated it.

Reaching out she grabbed his hand like the first day they had met, her cheeks red since she knew others were watching. His toughened hand gently intertwined with her own and she glanced up at his eyes again. They had melted into a warm color, his shoulders relaxed once more.

"Walk me home?" She still felt the need to talk quietly, almost as if she talked any louder she would shatter this moment of beautiful insanity.

A pleasant feeling of happiness drowned any doubts as he nodded his head.

Both of them began moving on the thin sidewalk, shoulders bumping from time to time. After a while the school fell out of sight behind them, and it was just her and Paul. Neither of them had said anything and it was making her nervous. Should she say something?

"Why are you nervous?" The sudden noise of his voice shocked her and she felt her heart jump a little. His eyes had narrowed down at her as he awaited her answer.

"Just that…That I couldn't tell if I should say something or not. It was awfully quite for a while." His amber eyes relaxed and an easy grin stole over his lips.

"Oh that's all? Go ahead then, I don't mind." He looked up at the path ahead now and she suddenly wished she hadn't been so honest. What was she even going to say? Actually now that she thought about it, she suddenly had a lot of questions to ask him.

"What's your last name Paul?" He turned to her quickly when she said his name, almost as if she had shocked him, then quickly turned back. Was that a light blush? She stared at his face in contemplation.

"Uhh, what your question? Oh my last name, it's Walker." The "blush" had begun to fade and she decided to try a little experiment.

"Oh, Paul Walker huh?" She let herself linger on his name, and stared in satisfaction as his eyes went a little hazy and his cheeks reddened slightly.

"That'd be me…" He murmured softly. She would be lying if she said she didn't want to do it again, but teasing the poor boy was mean so she changed the subject. She found herself wanting to approach him again about his strange behavior and appearances, but decided against it. It would have to be up to him to tell her, he hadn't cracked under her questioning last time. All they had done was get wound up about it and she didn't want to fight.

"I met Kim today, Jared's girlfriend. She's really sweet."

"Yeah Kim's alright. You'll have to meet Leah and Emily too." He was confusing her again but she went along with it.

"Are those Kim's other friends?"

"Yeah Kim's friends with them."

"Okay, I bet I'll meet them sometime during school." Paul seemed to start to say something, but thought better of it and instead looked down at her.

"Maybe you could just come to the bonfire we're having at First Beach. Everyone'll be there." The thought of going to a party after just moving here had butterflies of nervousness blooming in her stomach.

"I…I don't really think so. I'm not really a party person." Paul frowned at her answer.

"It wouldn't really be a party, more like a neighborhood get together. And Kim and I will be there so you won't be alone." She was quiet and just watched as the house slowly came into view.

"It'll be Friday night at seven. I can come pick you up maybe?" Anxiety gripped her chest and she suddenly found that she absolutely had to find a way out of going to this party.

"No, I'm going to be busy Friday night. Sorry." She felt lame as he continued to stare at her. They were almost at the door of her house now.

"Busy doing what?" His voice was in check, but it seemed to hold an underlining edge.

"I have plans made to hang out with a friend." His hand slide out from hers and she turned to face him while she stood in front of her door. Her skin felt cold without his, and she wished she could reach out and touch him. But his amber eyes were hard now, cold even. She had hurt him again.

"You just moved here, how do you already have friends?" She suddenly thought of her friend Alex back in Wisconsin. They had started to meet up over X-box Live after she had moved to play video games together. It had turned a little awkward though when she found out he liked her.

"Alex lives in Wisconsin but we still hang out over X-box together sometimes. We both like playing video games together but he works a lot so we have to plan it." She watched with fascination and intimidation as his muscles moved and he clenched his jaw.

"He?" His voice was a dark rumble, his dark eyes a threat. "What's your relationship to each other?" Her hands started playing with her skirt, and she found herself wishing she hadn't mentioned his gender.

"Uh we're just friends. I think of him as a little brother." Which was the truth. Sort of. They had gone on a date just once before she left, but then she had realized she didn't feel the same way he did.

Paul's eyes took in the way she was fiddling with her clothing and she swore she saw his eyes turn black.

"I see. Well I'll be going now." He turned stiffly and sauntered over towards the woods. What was with the boys and using those woods? The forest was huge, weren't they afraid of getting lost?

Paul suddenly turned back as she was thinking this, and marched right back to her, his eyes now a fiery amber. He reached the steps where he had been standing before, and walked even closer, driving her up against the front door.

"You are mine. Do not entertain the thought of some other boy, he will never be able to protect you or make you feel passion as I do." His voice was a deep growl, the sound rumbling out of his chest and into hers. Whatever words she possessed fled her at that moment.

He leaned down, closing the distance between them and trapped her as he positioned his hands on either side of her. "Do you understand little one?" Her breathing had quickened and her heart beat at an irregular pace. So she only nodded her head slowly, lost in the spell he had put over her.

"Good." He then leaned down to her neck and lightly nipped her there. Stars seemed to burst behind her eyes as she closed them to the overwhelming pleasure the simple action gave her. A kiss soon followed after, smoothing the skin there and turning her insides to mush.

The heat of him disappeared abruptly and she opened her eyes to find him gone. She stood up from leaning against the door and looked out over the green yard. But he was nowhere to be seen.


	8. A Pretty Crazy Week

**Hey! So I know some people didn't like how possessive Paul was in the last chapter, but hopefully you'll understand his actions more as the story progresses : 3 Please review if you have the time! I love hearing from you guys, it makes me want to write more ^^ **

Sandra was mad. No, furious was more like it. Ever since Paul had pulled his disappearing act on her front porch, she'd been going crazy. How could he have made her act like such a wimp?! It honestly was embarrassing how she had caved into him that day. At least now she knew without a doubt that he was no good. She had been avoiding him all week and asking for rides after school from her brother-in-law. She only had to make it through today, which was Friday, and then she'd be safe until school started up again on Monday.

She was twirling her pencil around absent mindedly during her last hour but stopped as she felt someone clear their throat next to her. Looking up from her desk she saw Embry Call leaning towards her.

"Hey, uhh….Look, I saw what-I mean Paul told me, about what he did last time he walked you home." She hated how her cheeks were turning red at his statement. But oh god, how embarrassing…She glanced up at the teacher to make sure she wasn't paying attention. Sure enough Mrs. Ander had her eyes glued to her cell as the class "studied".

She looked back at Embry and saw that his brown eyes were nervous looking. "What about it?"

He shifted his legs as he leaned closer, "I just want you to know that Paul's an idiot, that it's not normally that way. Paul is…Well he's more unexperienced at this kind of thing than the rest of us." _This kind of thing? _What did that mean?

"What are you talking about?" She swore these people were on something. He bite his lip and his eye brows scrunched together as if he were contemplating how to tell her something.

"This would be so much easier if you just knew, but you don't so just bear with me okay?" He locked his eyes on her and didn't look away until she nodded.

"Knew what though?" His hand came up to awkwardly scratch the back of his head.

"It's not really my secret to tell. Look I just want you to know that you shouldn't judge Paul too bad, and to come to the party at seven tonight. It's really important." She suddenly remembered Paul asking her about that Monday after school.

"Oh no way, I don't want to go anywhere that jerk's gonna be." Embry suddenly seemed defeated as his shoulders slumped and he turned his body back to his desk.

"Not even if you would find out why Paul act's the way he does?"

"Nope, you couldn't even pay me." Embry just nodded in a sad way as he picked up his book.

"Figured."

It wasn't long before the bell rang and she was heading out toward her brothers old brown truck that sat puttering in front of the school. She ignored the stares of Paul and the rest of his friends as she hopped up into her seat. Once inside though she couldn't help but glance back at him. He was watching her carefully but once their eyes met he sent her a confident smirk. She whipped her head back to stare out the front windshield and tightened her hand on her backpack. What the hell? Smirking boys made her want to through something at someone.

The sound of CJ's voice brought her back to reality though, "Hey so school go okay today?" For being a preacher CJ was pretty cool and she felt herself relax as she settled back into her seat.

"Yeah it went well, I'm pretty good friends now with this girl named Kim." And it was true, her and Kim talked all the time now. They had even been talking about making plans to hang out after school someday.

"That's good." It was quite for a few moments and she stared out at the passing scenery, a green forest and fresh looking grass. Pretty, but pretty boring too. Wait was that a flash of silver? She leaned closer to the window to get a better look.

"So your sister's pretty excited." The sound of CJ's voice reached her but she continued to concentrate on the woods next to the car.

"Oh yeah? Why's that?" It had looked like silver fur, could it have been a wolf? Surely it hadn't been a rabbit, it would have been lower towards the ground.

"Well, we've been invited as a family to a party tonight a seven." She felt herself freeze at this statement and completely forgot about what she had seen before.

She turned to look at CJ as they pulled into the driveway of their house. "As a family?" Her voice drifted out in the now silent truck as the engine stopped.

"That's right. And while I'm not exactly excited about it, your sister is, so please don't make her upset." His eyes trained on her face made her feel bad, but there was no way in hell she was going to that party. The smirk on Paul's face as he had seen her leaving made a lot more sense now and she swore to herself she absolutely wouldn't go. But how would she be getting out of this? She'd just have to agree for now.

"Okay, don't worry about it, I'll be there." His face relaxed and he shuffled out of the truck now.

"Thanks Sandra, you're a good kid."

This compliment only made her feel worse about what she was going to do next, and as he left to go into the house she felt herself mumbling a sad reply, "Not really..."

It had been a long day. She had been laying down hints for about 6 hours now. She had spent all her time since 12'Oclock in trying to convince her sister she didn't feel good, and it was now 6:30. Time to lay it on thick.

She found her sister sitting on one of the sofas in the room at the end of the hall.

"Hey Kandice?" She didn't have to force her voice to come out tired sounding-it had been a long day after all.

Her sister looked up from a book she had been reading, "How We Can Serve Him" by some Harold Green fellow. Figures.

"I'm not feeling too well. My stomach's been bothering me ever since I got home today." She watched as suspicion entered her sister's eyes.

"You're just trying to get out of going to that party aren't you? It won't be that bad, we don't even have to stay that long-promise. It's just us being polite and showing up for a while and then coming back home. I'll even treat you to a Seattle shopping trip later." Kandice smiled at her encouragingly and she sighed as she let her hand drop from her stomach.

"I really don't want to go though. There's a boy there that I don't like."

"A boy you don't like? Who's that?" CJ's voice startled her as he strode into the living room from the kitchen. Both of them now watched her as she fiddled with her shirt.

"Paul Walker? I don't know if you know him or not." Suddenly the expressions on both of their faces changed into one of understanding.

"Oh well never mind then, we'll just tell them that you got sick." She was surprised at CJ's words and even more shocked as Kandice nodded her head.

"That's right, we won't force you to go if that boy is bothering you."

"Is that the reason why you've been asking for the car rides as well?" CJ's eyes seemed too born into her soul, but she found it hard to discuss with him. She didn't even understand what had happened between them entirely. His eyes eventually softened and he turned around to the kitchen. "That's alright, you don't have to tell me, just know that we're here for you."

She was so glad her sister and brother-in-law were so nice, and she felt herself relax. Only an annoying pang remained because she wouldn't being seeing Paul tonight, but she pushed that idiotic feeling aside. Finally she would be able to get some rest from all this craziness.


	9. Things That Go Bump In the Night

**Hey everyone! So I saw that someone commented on Paul's last name not being right, I can change it if it really bothers people but I thought that'd Walker would be fine. Any who, hope you enjoy the chapter and remember to comment if you have time! As always, I love hearing from you guys ^^**

Sandra had settled down in the living room shortly after Kandice and CJ had left for the party. It was now 7:10 and she had her feet propped up on the couch, a good book in her hand. The house was quite, only the sound of a ticking clock in the background.

A sudden pounding noise came from the door, the noise piercing the quite night. The sudden banging had startled her so much she had dropped her book, her eyes wide with fear. Whoever was making a ruckus started talking loudly through the door.

"Sandra! Look, I know you're in there and you don't want to come to the party, but you just have to tonight! Everything will then make sense-and…and if you want, after tonight I'll leave you alone…But you have to come tonight at least!" Paul's broken but desperate voice reached her, and she physically felt her chest ache. But she was still mad at him. Aches be damned, there was no way she was going to that party. She kept herself in check by picking up her book and trying to read where she left off. Trying at least. The thought of running to Paul was terribly tempting.

"Sandra…Please…." His voice was pleading, begging. Oh god. This would not do. "Sandra! I promise you! Just for tonight, come with me to this party." It was actually getting hard to breathe as she listened to him call for her. "If you don't come out, I swear I'll come in." This time his voice was a growl, a threat. If it continued like this…She'd give in. He'd get his way.

She stood up and stashed her book on the coffee table as she ran to the kitchen, to the glass doors that opened out onto their backyard. She had to escape. Tugging open the glass door, she darted into the night, not even bothering to close the door.

Her legs pumped faster as she ran as hard as she could towards the forest. Somehow she felt that she had to run very fast, that Paul would quickly catch on to what she was doing. And it turns out she was right, because just as she broke the line of the forest and was darting through the beginning of trees, she heard branched snapping behind her.

"SANDRA! DO _NOT _RUN FROM ME!" Now adrenaline fueled her and her need to escape soon had her panting and pushing herself to go even faster. "DAMMIT SANDRA!" A creek ran up ahead and she ran right through it, her bare feet splashing through the cool water. She had made it half way when a sudden tug on her arm sprung her back into a hard chest.

She struggled to get away and finally the hand released her. She took several steps forward and then spun around to face a shaking Paul. His eyes were an intense amber, liquid fire. They scared her.

"Paul you can't make me go with you, I said I don't want to go." Her voice came out winded as she worked on recovering from her sprinting. How far were they from the house now?

His hands wouldn't still and they ran through his hair repeatedly. "Listen, you can't keep-What I mean is…This won't…" Paul let out a loud growl, one that she would have noticed was way to animalistic if she had been thinking rationally. But she wasn't. She hadn't noticed the signs. She never had.

"Just leave Paul, and don't come near me again." Even though she said it, her heart tore as she did and her eyes misted as Paul's face hardened and his shaking intensified. She hated hurting him. It was as if he were hurting her instead.

"I…I…" Paul's form was now a blur in front of her eyes, and she was truly frightened now. What was happening to him? "I…" His voice was only a snarl now, and she watched with terrified fascination as his eyes shone even brighter, impossibly bright. They connected with hers and he stared at her through the shaking, his body now tightening as if preparing for a fight.

"RUN," his voice came out forced, and angry. Though he had told her to, she couldn't seem to make herself move. That was the last thing he said before his body was overcome with a black mist; it covered his body, the shadows moving and spiraling downward and outward before disappearing entirely. Now where Paul had stood, stood a large silver wolf with shimmering amber eyes.

She still couldn't move. Couldn't even scream. Her heart was racing and her legs felt too heavy to run. Would she die here? Paul…Paul was a…A werewolf. And he was going to kill her. He had been so mad before. He would kill her.

The large wolf-who she kept forgetting was Paul-blinked a couple of times. It shook its head as if to clear it, and then laid down low to the water, dropping to her level. She felt her knees give out as he slowly inched forward on his belly through the low water. A long high pitched wine emitted from its muzzle as it pawed its face. What was he doing?

As their eyes met again he wagged his tail and whimpered at her. "Paul?" she asked softly. The wagging increased and he wiggled even closer. His wet noise poked into her hand, and she raised it toward him nervously. Was he possibly friendly?

She slowly lowered her hand, and tentatively petted his head. His great big eyes rolled back slightly before he closed them and began making a strange purring noise.

"Werewolves purr?" She heard herself asking. Just a huff from Paul had her giggling as he open up his eyes again and rolled them. This was so surreal…Paul had chased her into the forest, where he had shifted into a silver wolf, who she now was holding a conversation with. Yeah, she must be a little touched.

But the soft fur beneath her hand said otherwise, and so did the content feeling in her chest as she leaned in even closer to the great beast. His warmth shielded her from the chilly air and relaxed her. His humming noise was enticing, like a soft song, and it had her shoulders dropping and her head fuzzy.

He seemed to notice her sudden sleepiness and rose slowly before dashing off into the dark trees surrounding the creek. Had he really just left her all alone out here? What was he going off to do? Was he consumed with the sudden urge to hunt?

Either way she was freezing and she slowly got to her feet and splashed through the creek to start heading back. Err-at least where she thought she had come from. It had all really been a blur…

The soft sound of bushes rustling had her turning her head to the side as Paul stepped out shirtless with long sleek sweatpants on. She hungrily took in his hard lean muscles and the smooth tanned skin of his body, saving his melting amber eyes for last. When she had realized what she had done she hung her head in embarrassment and started forward again. She had just ogled a werewolf! And a hot headed one at that.

"Other way." His deep voice sent goosebumps up and down her body, but she ignored them and turned to face him. He's face said nothing, but his thumb pointed to the left of where she'd been walking.

She took a deep breath in to relax herself, and walked closer to him. His eyes only watched her, waiting for her next move. "So you're a werewolf?"

He shook his head back and forth, "No, I'm actually a shifter. But werewolf can work too I suppose." He was so causal about it. He had her head turning gears though now that she was rational enough to think.

"Is this somehow connected to me going to the party?" Oh my God. What if he was planning on sacrificing her in some creepy shifter ceremony?! He did hang out with what the other students called the LaPush Gang after all!

"Yes, I wanted you to hear about the stories of old, and show you by shifting. It would have been different than tonight. I would never willingly shift when angry around you, it's too dangerous." His eyes narrowed as he spoke and he just stared at her. Like this was _all _her fault. Stupid, cocky Paul!

"It's not like this is my fault! Anyone would work to avoid some crazy guy that hit on her when they first met and always got angry when they were together! Plus you pissed me off so bad Paul when you just invited my family like that! God I really just wanted to punch you." She felt her anger simmering and her fists clenched as she stared at his stupid head.

She was surprised when his eyes widened and he threw his head back to laugh at her. He was _laughing _at her? That did it. She lunged forward and was about to punch him when he caught her fist, tears of laughter in his eyes.

"That won't go so well for you love, when someone punches a werewolf they get a broken arm." She felt disappointment flood her but she relaxed her hand in his tight grip. His hand was always so warm…

"Is it a shape shifter thing to always be so warm?" His hand lowered hers and then tenderly held on.

"Yup, it's actually something to do with the wolf gene specifically I believe." Tingles raced through her as he began to slowly stroke her hand. He was so good at distracting her…But she needed answers.

"What about this…ache? The one you mentioned before? Why do we feel it? What is it?" Her own chest still throbbed as he stood right before her, but she refused to give in, to go to him completely.

His eyes melted, and he stared at her…Lovingly? That couldn't be right though.

"That is the imprint." She watched as he shifted almost anxiously.

"I wanted to tell you differently, wanted to tell you a lot of things differently, but I'll tell you now. You're my imprint. My other half." She swallowed nervously at him and he suddenly used his other hand to scratch behind his neck. "When I first saw you, even before when I could only smell you, hear you, you changed my life. I was drawn to you. And when I did see you, when our eyes first connected, I became completely yours. Imprints are like the world to us. I will always protect you," His hand came down from his neck and stroked her face gently. "Always love you." She felt herself becoming lost in his stare.

"You love me?" Her voice was only a whisper. His eyes softened and he continued to slide his thumb tenderly across her cheek, and the feeling warmed her chest.

"Yeah, I love you. You make me act crazy, I get so many different emotions when I'm with you. Jealousy, happiness, sadness. I can never get you out of my head." He swallowed as his voice also became just a whisper of ragged emotion, a caress in the dark night. "I can't stand when you avoid me, when you are angry with me. It breaks me. I tried to stay away, I did…But I just can't. I have to have you…" He leaned onto her forehead and stared at her hungrily. "I'm sorry. It's the truth. Will you accept me? Be my imprint?"

They were so close and the heat from him surrounded her completely. But she wanted to really think about it, to not get swept away under his spell. So she closed her eyes and thought of the gentle Paul who had chased her to her room, the Paul who had took her in his arms to calm her fear, the Paul who she now knew defended her against kids at school. Her Paul. Then she open her eyes to his, his gaze drawing her in once more.

"Yes." She whispered.

Joy lit up his entire face, a grin broke out of him and happiness danced in her eyes. The ache in her chest vanished, and instead, a clam happy bubbling feeling filled it. He leaned even closer to her now, his hand that held hers brought it to his chest and then rested on her lower back, drawing her closer. His intent was clear as his eyes caught on her lips and he angled his face down, but before he could kiss her, she drew back slightly.

"But." His face slowly collapsed and he regarded her with worry. Her own smile spread across her face, "We have got to do something about that temper of yours Paul."  
His own face broken into a grin and he barked out a laugh. She closed her eyes at his smile and leaned forward into her Paul. Her wolf.


End file.
